ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE

CHAPTER 14

Giovanni stood in the winery, lost in his thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about Sister Maria and the kiss they shared. It had been days since he last saw her, but her presence lingered in his mind. He couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way he did.

As he was lost in thought, his friend Bartolo approached him.

"Giovanni, my friend, what's on your mind?" Bartolo asked, a sly smile on his face.

Giovanni shook his head. "Nothing, Bartolo. I'm just thinking."

Bartolo raised an eyebrow. "About Sister Maria, perhaps?"

Giovanni felt his cheeks flush. "What makes you say that?"

Bartolo chuckled. "Come on, Giovanni. I've known you for years. I can tell when you're smitten with someone."

Giovanni rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny the truth in Bartolo's words.

Bartolo then clapped his hands and a group of young women appeared from behind a nearby bush. They giggled and batted their eyelashes at Giovanni, pressing their bodies against him.

Giovanni felt a pang of guilt as he gently pushed them away. He knew that he couldn't just use these women to distract himself from his feelings for Sister Maria.

"Sorry, ladies," he said, smiling weakly. "I'm just not in the mood right now."

The girls pouted, but they eventually left. Giovanni watched them go, feeling empty and unsatisfied.

Bartolo slapped him on the back. "Come on, my friend. Let's go back to your estate. I have a surprise for you."

Giovanni hesitated for a moment, but he eventually agreed. He needed something to take his mind off Sister Maria.

As they made their way back to Giovanni's estate, Bartolo kept up a steady stream of chatter. He talked about his own conquests with women and the latest gossip from the town.

Giovanni tried to feign interest, but his mind kept drifting back to Sister Maria. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

When they arrived at Giovanni's estate, Bartolo led him to a room filled with music and young women. They danced and laughed, but Giovanni felt disconnected from it all. He smiled, but it was a hollow gesture. His heart was still with Sister Maria.

After a few hours, Bartolo left, and Giovanni was left alone in the room. He looked around at the empty bottles and the remnants of the party, and he felt a wave of emptiness wash over him. This was not what he wanted. He wanted something real, something meaningful.

He recalled pressing his mother to have another dinner in their estate and inviting the nuns at the convent because Sister Maria refused to come. He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing her again.

Giovanni left the room and headed back to his own quarters. As he lay in bed, he couldn't shake the memory of Sister Maria's touch, the softness of her lips. He knew that he had to see her again, but he didn't know how.

He was tormented by his longing for her, and he didn't know how to make it go away. All he knew was that he needed her, more than anything else in the world.